Home » News & Events » Past Speakers » Katherine N. Lapp

Katherine N. Lapp

Executive Director
Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)

On October 12th, Katherine Lapp, Executive Director of the MTA, joined the Fellows for dinner as guest speaker. Appointed in January 2002, Ms. Lapp, as the MTA’s chief executive, is responsible for the operations, finances and long-term business strategies of North America’s largest regional transportation network consisting of New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, Long Island Bus, MTA Bridges and Tunnels and the MTA Capital Construction Company. Governed by a Board of Directors, the MTA has 65,000 employees, an annual budget of over $7 billion, an $18 billion capital program for system maintenance and network expansion and a total annual ridership of more than 2.37 billion. Previously, Ms. Lapp had been New York State's Director of Criminal Justice and Commissioner of the Division of Criminal Justice Services serving as the Governor’s chief advisor and policy maker for all areas of criminal justice, and overseeing the State’s criminal justice agencies (State Police, Department of Correctional Services, Division of Parole, Crime Victims Board, and the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives). From 1994 through 1997, Ms. Lapp served as New York City's Criminal Justice Coordinator. She was the primary advisor to the Mayor on criminal justice matters and was responsible for the oversight of the City's public safety agencies, including the Police, Fire, Correction, Probation, and Juvenile Justice Departments, and their coordination with State criminal justice agencies, the court system, and the City's prosecutors. Prior to that position, Ms. Lapp was the Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to New York City's Deputy Mayor for Public Safety from 1990 through 1993. She served as Law Secretary to the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department from 1986 to 1990, following tenure as a law assistant from 1983 through 1985. Ms. Lapp was admitted to the Bar in 1981. She holds a B.A. in History from Fairfield University and received her Juris Doctorate degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1981.

The information listed above was provided at the time of the speaker's visit and may no longer be current.